Merchandising package



Dec. 7, 1965 c. L. DAVIS 3,222,190

MERCHANDI S ING PACKAGE Original Filed Feb. 14, 1965 l BY i Q nl; 9 M A@United States Patent O 12 Claims. (Cl. 99-172) The present invention isa continuation of my application filed on February 14, 1963 bearing thesame title and bearing Serial No. 258,408.

This invention relates generally to merchandise packaging and moreparticularly to a merchandise package which is especially suited forenclosing and retaining an elongated object together with one or moredissimilarly shaped articles.

The packaging of dissirnilarly sized and shaped objects has long been aproblem. One purpose of packaging it to protect the contents of apackage from exterior forces while at the same time restrainingexcessive internal movements of the objects. Obviously, such movementscan result in severe damage to the contents.

A second purpose of packaging is to provide similarly shaped and sizedpackages and thereby facilitate stacking in a regular manner fordisplay, shipping, or storage purposes.

In the packaging of irregularly shaped and dissimilarly sized objects,these two purposes are, more 'often than not, inconsistent. If thepackage is designed to minimize internal movement, the package isfrequently of such a shape that stacking is difficult, if notimpossible. On the other hand, if the package is designed primarily forstacking purposes, internal movement is allowed and can be correctedonly by incorporating a filler such as excelsior, paper, etc.

Even if both of the above purposes of packaging are met by the use offiller or otherwise, the entire package is usually of such fragilecharacter that stacking can result in crushing of the package.

The packaging of an elongated object and one or more smaller anddissimilarly shaped objects is a particularly vexing problem.Heretofore, a package meeting all of the criteria discussed above hasbeen unavailable for such objects.

It is, therefore, the general object of the present invention to provideimproved packages -for articles of dissimilar sizes and shapes.

A further object is to provide a novel package for the combination of anelongated article and one or more smaller articles, which packageeffectively restrains the contents from excessive internal movementwhile at the same time presenting a configuration of suicient strengthfor stacking in displays, shipping -or storage.

Other objects will become apparent from an examination of the followingdescription of the invention and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a carton incorporating the features ofthe present invention shown with an elongated article and two fragile,dissimilarly shaped objects contained therein;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View of the carton shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 illustrates one suitable blank from which the carton of FIGURESl and 2 can be folded;

FIGURES 4 through 7 are schematic representations yof alternativecartons falling within the scope of the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a plan View of a multiplicity of filled cartons as shown inFIGURE 1 arranged in a closely nested layer; and

Patented Dec. 7, 1965 lCe FIGURE 9 is an illustration of an advantageousmanner in which a number of cartons, as shown in FIGURE 1, can bestacked.

In accordance with the present invention, the above objects are attainedby the provision of a carton of triangular shape, which comprises a pairof spaced triangular face members and three side members connecting theopposing edges of the face members, into which an elongated article maybe placed adjacent to one of the connecting side members. The otherdissimilarly shaped articles may then be placed in the apex region ofthe carton opposite that side member.

To facilitate the description of the invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, rst to FIGURE l which is a perspective View of atriangular carton containing a typical elongated article together withtwo typical smaller and dissimilarly shaped articles. An elongatedcylindrical member 10, which may represent, for example, a cylindricalpressurized dough container, of the type disclosed in United StatesPatent No. 2,793,126, Fienup et al., and two smaller articles 11 and 12,which may represent, for example, pouches of filling and icing to beused in connection with dough contained in the aforementioned doughpackage 10 are shown enclosed within triangular carton 13. Carton 13lconsists of two spaced triangular face members 17 and 18 and three sidemembers, 14, 15 and 16, connecting the opposing edges x, y and zthereof. Cylindrical article 1t? lies across and adjacent to side member14 (i.e., across one leg of triangular carton 13) and partiallyprotrudes through and is restrained by arcuate slots 19 and 2i) locatedin side members 15 and 16, respectively. Smaller articles 11 and 12reside within the apex region 21 of triangular carton 13 and arerestrained from excessive movement therewithin by converging sidemembers 15 and 16, faces 17 and 18, and the inner surface 22 ofcylindrical article 10. Additional arcuate slots 19a and 2da (thepurpose of which will be explained below in connection with thedescription of FIGURE 8) are provided in the apex region of side members15 and 16, respectively.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, which is a side elevation View of the cartonshown in FIGURE l, it can be seen that the dimensions of carton 13 andthe location of arculate slots 19 are such that side 14 and faces 17 and1S in combination with arcuate slots 19 and 29 effectively restraincylindrical article 10 from movement within the carton. In theembodiment shown in FIGURE 2, arcuate slots 19 and 20 are cut so as toprovide ears 311 and 31 which engage protruding rim 32 of cylindricalcan 10 and securely lock the can within the carton. Access to theinterior of the carton is made through side member 14 which may beprovided, if desired, with any suitable opening feature, such as pulltab, tear tape, perforations, etc. Upon opening side member 14,cylindrical can 10 does not fall out but is retained within by ears 30and 31 until forcibly removed therefrom.

From the above, it can be seen that the spacing between side member 14and arcuate slots 19 is such that slots 19 and 2li maintain elongatedarticle 10 tightly against side member 14. It should be apparent thatthe perpendicular spacing of the slots from side member 14 correspondsto the diameter (or thickness in the case of elongated articles havingnon-cylindrical shapes) of article 10. By elementary trigonometry it mayalso be seen that the distance along side member 15 between the far edgeof slot 19 and the corner 33 of the carton (D in FIGURES 1 and 2) isequal to the diameter (or thickness) divided by the size of the anglebetween side members 14 and 15. In the claims appended hereto, thisdistance will be termed a restraining distance.

It is apparent that carton 13 of FIGURES 1 and 2 may be formed in anumber of sizes from a number of different carton blanks. One suitableblank is shown in plan view in FIGURE 3. Referring to that iigure, theblank 22 which is generally of triangular shape is provided with scorelines 23 through 27 which define triangular face members 17 and 18 andside member 15. Also defined are tabs 14a land 1411, 16a and 16h and16C, and 26a and 27a which, when folded upwardly as viewed in FIGURE 3,along the various score lines, join to form side members 14 and 16.After folding, tabs 26a and 27a lie within 16!) and ldb, respectively,and 16h and 14h lie within 16a and 14a, respectively. Holes 34 and 35which are provided in tab 1Gb fall beneath slots 20 and 20a in tab 16awhen the carton is erected.

The triangular configuration of carton 13 shown in FIGURES 1 through 3is based upon a right isosceles triangle with the cylindrical articlelying along the base thereof opposite the right angle at the apex. Itshould be apparent that other triangular congurations, several of whichare illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURES 4 through 6, are alsosuitable. From these gures it may be seen that the base angles (i.e.,angles A and B) are variable and are governed in a given package by thesize of the elongated article and the space requirements of theaccompanying articles 11 and 12. It should be noted, however, that theangles A and B should be less than 90 degrees in order to secure bothends of the elongated article. In the event that it is desired thateither angle A or B be made equal to or greater than 90 degrees, otherprovisions such a restraining clip or projection must be made within thecontainer to restrain the end of the elongated article 10 ly-ingadjacent to that angle.

It also should be noted that while arcuate slots 19 are preferred, manyadvantages of the present invention are afforded by structures in whichthe slots are not provided. FIGURE 7 diagrammatically depicts analternative structure in which slots 19 are not provided, restraintmerely being provided by the side members. Moreover, many advantages mayalso be enjoyed by cartons in which the slot takes the form of anaperture through which the entire end of the elongated article mayprotrude.

FIGURE 8 which is a schematic representation of a layer of triangularcartons illustrates the function of additional arcuate slots 19a .and20a of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 through 3. It can be seen thatthe portions of cylinder 10 protruding through arcuate slots 19 and 20are accepted by slots 19a and 20a in the next adjacent packages in alayer of packages and allow close nesting thereof.

Another outstanding and important advantage of the present invention isillustrated in FIGURE 9 which shows a number of filled triangularcartons made in -accordance with the present invention arranged in .astack. In each layer of the stack, :side members 14 of two cartons areplaced in contiguous relationship so that a square array is formed. Whendisposed in this manner, cylindrical articles 10 lie adjacent andparallel to each other. In the next higher layer within the stack, theorientation of side members 14 of the cartons is changed by 90 degrees:and in each succeeding higher layer rotated an additional 90 degrees.It may be seen that in each of such stacks weight is borne almostentirely by cylindrical articles 10 and not by the various triangularcartons which make up the stack. Thus, articles such as 11 and 12 whichaccompany elongated articles 10 may be quite fragile in nature and yetbe packaged as shown and stacked in the manner shown without fear ofdamage due to compressive forces encountered in stacking.

Cartons fabricated in accordance with the present invention are alsoadvantageous in that lling and sealing may be performed easily by meansof relatively simple equipment. Prior to the filling of the containershown in FIGURE 1, the carton is erected and sealed with the exceptionof tabs 14a and 14b which are left open. The

carton may be then placed on any suitable conveying mechanism in aposition such that the open side (i.e., side 14) faces upwardly. At anyconvenient place along the conveying mechanism, articles 12 and 11, inthat order, are dropped into the container from positions above theconveying mechanism. The sloping sides 15 and 16 direct articles 12 and11 to the bottom or apex region of the container, leaving the base ofupper region open. At some later point along the conveying mechanism,elongated article 10 is dropped into the upper or base region of thecarton where it seats itself into `arcuate slots 18. Tabs 14a and 141)are then lled and glued to close and seal the container. It will benoted that the gluing operation is simpliiied in that elongated article10 provides a rigid surface under tabs 14a and 14b and allows theapplication of pressure during sealing.

It should be apparent that many variations from and modifie-ations ofthe embodiments described above may be made without departing from thescope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention should belimited only as indicated in the following claims:

I claim:

1. A mechandising package comprising in combination:

(a) a carton comprising:

(1) a pair of spaced triangular face members each of which has a baseedge and two side edges, and

(2) three side members connecting the opposing base and side edges ofsaid face members to thus form an enclosed triangular space, each of theside members connecting said side edges being provided with a slotlocated a restraining distance from said base edge, and

(b) an elongated article disposed within said carton adjacent to theside member connecting said base edges and being of such length to atleast partially protrude through said slots.

2. The merchandising package of claim 1 in which said elongated articleis cylindrical in shape and said slots are arcuate in shape.

D 3. A merchandising package comprising in combinatron:

(a) a carton comprising:

(l) a pair of spaced triangular face members each of which has a baseedge and two side edges;

(2) three side members connecting the opposing base and side edges ofsaid face members to thus form an enclosed triangular space, each of theside members connecting said side edges being provided with a slotlocated a restraining distance from said base edge;

(d) an elongated article disposed within said carton adjacent to theside member connecting said base edges and being of such length to atleast partially protrude through said slots, and

(c) at least one other article disposed within said carton adjacent tosaid elongated article.

4. The merchandising package of claim 3 further characterized in thatsaid other article is fragile in nature.

5. The merchandising package of claim 3 further characterized in thatsaid elongated article is a cylindrical pressurized dough containerprovided with end caps havmg protruding rims.

6. The merchandising package of claim 5 further characterized in thatsaid slots are arcuate in shape and define restrainmg ears which engagesaid protruding rims.

7. A merchandising package comprising in combination:

(a) a carton comprising:

(1) a pair of spaced triangular face members,

(2) three side members connecting the opposing edges of said members,

(b) an elongated dough package disposed within said carton adjacent toone of said side members and being restrained therein by the other twoof said side members,

(c) atleast one additional fragile article disposed within said cartonadjacent to said elongated dough package, and v (1) the restraint of thetwo side members upon the dough package being adapted to secure thedough package in a fixed position and prevent the dough package fromcrushing or damaging the fragile article during shipment.

8. A method of lling and sealing an outer carton adapted for containinga plurality of articles and including a pair of spaced triangular facemembers each of which has a 'base edge and two side edges and three sidemembers connecting the opposite base and side edges of said facemembers, each of said side members connecting said side edges beingprovided with a slot located a restraining distance from said base edgesaid method comprising dropping a relatively :small fragile article intothe carton, placing an elongated dough package Within the containeradjacent the fragile article with a portion of the elongated doughcontainer being restrained in a position with the surface thereoftangent to one of the side members, placing an adhesive material incontact with a portion of said i one of the side members and applyingpressure to said portion to hold said portion against the dough packagewhile the adhesive material hardens.

9. A carton adapted for containing an elongated article together with atleast one other dissimilarly shaped article comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced triangular face members each of which has .a baseedge and two side edges, and

(b) three side members connecting the opposite base and side edges ofsaid face members, each of said side members connecting said side edgesbeing provided with an arcuate slot extending across side members alongan axis normal to said spaced triangular face members located arestraining distance from said base edge, one edge of the slot beingadapted to engage the end of the elongated article to prevent movementof said end in a direction normal to said axis.

10. A carton adapted for containing an elongated article together withat least one other dissimilarly shaped article comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced triangular face members each of which has a baseedge and two side edges,

(b) three side members connecting the opposite base and side edges ofsaid face members, each of said side members connecting said side edgesbeing provided with an arcuate :slot extending across side members alongan axis normal to said spaced triangular face members located arestraining distance from said base edge, one edge of the slot beingadapted to engage the end of the elongated article to prevent movementof said end in a direction normal to said axis,

(c) a ap underlying the ls-ide members having said slots theerin, and

(d) each of said flaps having a cutaway portion therein in alignmentwith each slot.

11. A merchandising package comprising in combinatlon:

(a) a stack of cartons each carton including:

(l) a pair of spaced triangular face members, and (2) three side membersconnecting the opposing edges of said face members,

(b) an elongated article disposed Within said carton adjacent to one ofsaid side members and being restrained therein by the other two of saidside members, and

(c) said packages being positioned in aligned abutting pairs with theelongated articles therein positioned adjacent and parallel to eachother, .a plurality of said pairs placed in aligned relationship, one ontop of another, the orientation of said elongated articles in eachsucceeding higher layer being rotated by an add-itional 90, whereby ineach stack of cartons the weight is born almost entirely by saidelongated article.

12. A carton blank for a merchandising package having a pair of spacedtriangular face members and three side members connecting the opposingedges of the face members, said blank comprising in combination arectangular section said rectangular section having an arcuate slottherein located a restraining distance from one end thereof, a pair oftriangular sections hinged to opposed edges of the rectangular section,said slot being disposed across the rectangular section upon an axisextending between the triangular sect-ions, each triangular sectionhaving outwardly extending tabs along each free edge thereof, one ofsaid tabs including at least one arcuate slot therein located arestraining distance from one end of the tab and disposed to extendthereacross normal and the free edge thereof and t-he corresponding tabon the second triangular section having a cutaway portion positioned tounderlie the last said arcuate slot when the blank is erected.

References Cited by the Examiner THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

7. A MERCHANDISING PACKAGE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A CARTONCOMPRISING: (1) A PAIR OF SPACED TRIANGULAR FACE MEMBERS, (2) THREE SIDEMEMBERS CONNECTING THE OPPOSING EDGES OF SAID MEMBERS, (B) AN ELONGATEDDOUGH PACKAGE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CARTON ADJACENT TO ONE OF SAID SIDEMEMBERS AND BEING RESTRAINED THEREIN BY THE OTHER TWO OF SAID SIDEMEMBERS, (C) AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL FRAGILE ARTICLE DISPOSED WITHINSAID CARTON ADJACENT TO SAID ELONGATED DOUGH PACKAGE, AND (1) THERESTRAINT OF THE TWO SIDE MEMBERS UPON THE DOUGH PACKAGE BEING ADAPTEDTO SECURE THE DOUGH PACKAGE IN A FIXED POSITION AND PREVENT THE DOUGHPACKAGE FROM CRUSHING OR DAMAGING THE FRAGILE ARTICLE DURING SHIPMENT.